


To Love Ru- Omni Inaccessible Cardinal Superman Gold Prime

by FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum



Series: Superman Gold Prime OIC2 Series [1]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Superman - All Media Types, To Love-Ru
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Custom Pantheon, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Harems, Incest, Multi, Omnipotence, Open Marriage, Open Relationships, Open UBP Tier Eternal Bonds, Other, Romantic Soulmates, Self-Discovery, Sibling Incest, Smut, Soul Sex, Superheroes, Theoretical Axioms, True Love, True Love's Kiss, True Mates, Twincest
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-19
Updated: 2020-03-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:27:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 17,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23221717
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum/pseuds/FSAppaneestyUOZC99999999Supremum
Summary: Instead of falling to his Earth like Jor-El had intended; the future Superman’s escape pod is knocked off course by the destruction of Krypton and sent hurtling into an Ultra-Luminous Quasar Black Hole at the center of Krypton’s indigenous galaxy… exposing him to the strength and power of a 100 billion blue suns as he falls into the event horizon; altering him on a level that not even Krypton’s best and brightest truly have a reference frame for. His pod manages to escape the singularity but emerges on the other side in a completely different universe; one with problems and people entirely their own.
Relationships: Superman/Harem, Superman/Lala Satalin Deviluke, Superman/Multi
Series: Superman Gold Prime OIC2 Series [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1669618
Comments: 7
Kudos: 8





	To Love Ru- Omni Inaccessible Cardinal Superman Gold Prime

_Disclaimer: I don't own Superman or To Love-Ru's characters, nor do I make any profit off this whatsoever so don't sue lol._

_Description: Instead of falling to his Earth like Jor-El had intended; the future Superman's escape pod is knocked off course by the destruction of Krypton and sent hurtling into an Ultra-Luminous Quasar Black Hole at the center of Krypton's indigenous galaxy… exposing him to the strength and power of a 100 billion blue suns as he falls into the event horizon; altering him on a level that not even Krypton's best and brightest truly have a reference frame for. His pod manages to escape the singularity but emerges on the other side in a completely different universe; one with problems and people entirely their own._

Superman OIC2: Book 1

Chapter 1: A Doomed Planet's Final Hope

"Lara… he can't stay here." Spoke the strong but compassionate voice of the foremost scientist in all of Krypton and maybe even the brightest mind in the entire galaxy. His intelligence came at a cost however, because it was at times like this that Jor-El hated being right; he honestly wished he hadn't been, but their world was doomed, plain and simple.

Krypton was a high-gravity planet with an extremely harsh environment that only the most durable species could hope to thrive on. Hundreds of billions of years of evolution had allowed the humanoid race that made it their home to make advancements in technology never before seen; to the scientists of Krypton… devising methods of time travel, immortality, dimensional transcendence, and many other scientific wonders were commonplace.

They could do things that most other civilizations could only dream of; however, there was always more to be discovered, and always limitations to how advanced they were. Jor-El found it ironic that they couldn't save themselves in the end; all of that know-how, all of those hopes and dreams… dashed by the destruction of their home planet, a destruction they brought on themselves.

It was amongst the cruelest of ironies; to stand here knowing that their newborn baby would never know his parents, and would be the last of his kind in the universe should he live to see another day. Jor-El could only blame his own people for that; in their own arrogance and their desperation they'd lead Krypton to ruin.

Zod was right in the end; they really were a pack of fools… none more so than the ruling council, who had dismissed Jor-El's frequent warnings of Krypton's doom as nothing more than the ramblings of a mad, egocentric scientist trying to spread planet-wide panic. Jor-El would've been tempted to rub it in their faces now if the situation weren't so grave, besides; what good would it do? No doubt the council knew he was right now anyways; if the way Krypton was violently quaking was anything to go by. It was too little too late though, and the only hope for Krypton's future was held in Lara's arms as tears spilled down her beautiful face.

Jor-El felt his heart squeeze with anguish and regret brought on by a lifetime of frailties and failures; feeling his resolve harden while his mind processed the events of the last day... he couldn't save Krypton or even himself and Lara, but he would do everything he could to save their son. The moment he was born Jor-El just knew he would find a way to save him; he was Krypton's first natural birth in centuries, and possessed the Kryptonian attributes of a leader, worker, warrior, scientist, and many others that even Jor-El didn't know could be dominant traits amongst their race. He had long theorized that the unnatural birthing methods of the Genesis Chamber were dampening a Kryptonian's overall potential, and he was right; Kal-El was all the living proof of that he needed.

"I know, it's just… now that I'm holding him I'm not sure if I can go through with this Jor." Lara responded with an emotional hiccup; jarring Jor-El back to the present and out of his hurricane of thoughts and emotions as Jor-El nodded with grim understanding.

"I understand that hesitancy Lara, but you and I both know that Krypton is doomed. This is his only shot at survival; no matter the risks we have to take them. Out there he has a chance no matter how slim; here he is only guaranteed to die with the rest of us." Jor-El reminded her; his eyes locked solely on Kal's astonishingly blue eyes, amazed by how perfect the newborn baby had turned out.

"But what if his pod doesn't make it? He'll die out there… alone and afraid in the silence of space." Lara questioned him worryingly, and Jor-El's own eyes watered. He'd run through a nigh infinite number of hypothetical scenarios and calculated the approximate odds of each one using Krypton's computers; so he knew there was every possibility that could happen. Still, he believed there was a reason for everything, and had to have faith that life would find a way.

"Lara… his chances of survival are still much better out there amongst the stars; here he is guaranteed to die. Like I said, we have to take that risk, and hope that life will find a way." Jor-El reasoned.

"And what about the people of the planet you've chosen? He'll be an outcast, a freak, a pariah… they'll kill him." Lara whispered with tears still streaming from her eyes; clutching the baby Kal-El close to her chest as her body was wracked with heart-wrenching sobs. Jor-El hated to see the love of his life like this, and sought to reassure her.

" _How_?! He'll be a god to them Lara! Besides, Earth and its nourishing atmosphere and yellow sun are the best possible choices for him, and one of the things I learned during my walkabout on that planet was it's better to risk everything than to hold onto nothing. There's nothing for him here Lara… only the guarantee of sharing the same miserable fate as the rest of us. He will live, I don't know how I know but I know he'll survive Lara, and you and I both know not to dismiss our Kryptonian intuition." Jor-El soothingly stated as Lara took a few moments to compose herself and hug Kal-El close to her; the baby sensing his mother's anguish as he reached up and touched her face with his tiny, meaty hand; unknowingly brushing away her tears.

"Okay, I'm ready Jor." She finally said once she recovered her wits, and Jor-El nodded as he took the baby from her hands; said baby having a full head of perfectly symmetrical, jet-black hair with cosmetic eyes that were so blue it looked like someone hit fit them with contact lenses. He was going to be an absolute heartbreaker when he got older; Lara could feel as much in her bones.

"Initiate the launch sequence Kilex." Jor-El instructed the AI he'd personally created for his family. He'd been responsible for the creation of Brainiac's AI as well, and blamed himself every day for letting it get as far as it did; he suspected Zod had something to do with corrupting the Brain Interactive Construct's programming, but was never able to confirm it. As it was, Brainiac had already siphoned most of Krypton's databanks and was content to let the planet die; it had gotten past the point that he could be stopped even by the High Council, but Jor-El had thankfully created an isolated system with Kilex to store the full knowledge of all the known universe.

These data crystals along with an AI of Jor-El's own consciousness were already inside of Kal-El's ship, and by time Brainiac became aware of the launch sequence it would be too late. Either it would be forced to finish siphoning Krypton's knowledge before it exploded, or have no choice but to run interference and risk losing Krypton's precious knowledge or even get caught up in the explosion before it could get away in time. Either way, Jor-El was fairly confident he could get Kal-El away in time; even with the android's ability to create multiple bodies for itself and shapeshift.

Without Zod spearheading the coup on Krypton; Brainiac was forced to operate alone… not that Jor-El expected that to delay the machine for long. They were running out of time, and would need to have Kal-El clear Krypton's atmosphere before Brainiac could run interference. He thanked Rao for Zod's imprisonment in the Phantom Zone; one that Jor-El had overseen personally… Zod was a military genius and had enough imagination compared to Brainiac to anticipate a move such as this, but with his imprisonment Brainiac was forced to rely on cold, hard, logical computing power in order to anticipate the thoughts of others. There were a few things it couldn't anticipate however… feelings and emotions; two things Jor-El and Lara were filled to the brim with right now.

He was thankful for Zod's imprisonment for another reason however; the simple fact that the friend he once knew would make it out of Krypton's destruction alive; because no matter what sort of history existed between them nowadays, there was once a time when their infinitely complex relationship registered as mainly friendship.

"Understood Jor-El." Kilex responded, lowering the escape pod onto the launch pad and opening the hanger doors to reveal the devastation of the dying planet. Krypton's red sun painted the sky a shade of burnt orange that made it look like an ocean of blood; a rather fitting color in all honesty considering the circumstances. Perhaps Rao knew what had happened and was content to let nature take its course; neither helping or hindering the progress of Jor-El's launch sequence or attempting to stop Brainiac. Either way, the planet was fissuring all around them as the unstable core continued to collapse. Having exhausted their resources long ago; Krypton had been forced to harvest the core… which Jor-El knew to be a suicide move. Once again, he was proven right much to his dismay and his horror.

Kal-El never once cried, not even when Jor-El lowered him inside of the spacecraft, or when the first signs of the planet starting to break apart appeared as cracks in the very skin of the world; magma of many remarkable colors and shades erupting from Krypton's destabilized core. Frankly, Jor-El was surprised this hadn't started happening sooner. "We're out of time Lara." He said, and the woman nodded as she kissed their baby on the forehead with a tearful smile.

"Jor-El and Lara; there is enough time by my calculations for you to leave one final parting message to your son; would you like to record one on the data crystal?" Kilex asked them, and Jor-El knew that it wouldn't have asked this if it didn't believe they had the time to do so; so he nodded as the green data crystal containing unbelievable amounts of knowledge activated with a whirring glow. It took about 5-minutes for him and Lara to impart their final message and for the Crystal to deactivate on command. With their final words to their son concluded; Kal's ship closed up with their hopes and dreams contained within and was rocketing off into the stratosphere in the blink of an eye.

"Lady Lara and Lord Jor-El; Brainiac has cleared the atmosphere and is thankfully heading the opposite way of Kal-El, either he didn't notice us or simply didn't care." Kilex informed them diligently as Jor-El nodded in a thankful manner. He was glad Brainiac couldn't even bother to stick around; it was better that he didn't try to run interference.

"Thank you Kilex." Jor-El said simply as he and Lara moved to the lookout deck of their home and dazedly watched the world continue to burn all around them. Jor-El looked onward at the impending doom without fear; they had done all they could and Kal-El would carry the best of all of them along with him… wherever his journey may end up leading him was truly in the lap of the gods. Despair had long since given way to acceptance of their situation as Lara offered up a quick prayer to Rao.

"Make a better world than ours Kal." She whispered just loudly enough for her husband to hear her. The world began to break apart and crack at the very foundations even swifter now, and the two of them decided as one to share one last kiss just as the inferno of their breaking world consumed them and that final bout of affection followed them into whatever afterlife Kryptonians happened to travel to. The destruction of Krypton was witnessed by no-one save a tiny baby inside of an escape pod. Kal-El knew his world was gone, and unlike the times when he cried for food there was nobody to meet his needs anymore; he was completely lost, alone, and afraid in a vast, dark universe and flying to parts unknown to his undeveloped mind.

XXXXX

Kryptonian spacecraft design was both ingenious and comprised of many scientific marvels; the likes of which the rest of the galaxy was envious of. The second Kal's ship left the atmosphere the ship's shielding kicked in; protecting against the faster-than-light g-force generated by it as it began to move at a rapidly increasing rate. Another function of this shield was its ability to filter the radiation or Rao the red Krypton Sun; modifying it into its much more nourishing yellow counterpart for Kal's cells to drink in and increase his odds of survival even further. There was a setting that allowed the shield to turn the sunlight blue for even further power-augmentation still, but that was reserved only for emergencies where Kal's survival was truly jeopardized otherwise.

Blue sunlight was dangerous; because while it did increase a Kryptonian's abilities even further than the yellow sunlight did, it was often more power than even their cells could safely metabolize. For this reason above all others; baby Kal would be exposed only to yellow sunlight for the duration of his journey amongst the stars.

Unfortunately, as stated before; even Kryptonian genius had its limits, and there were an infinite number of variables that no scientist could ever truly prepare for. As fate would have it, or maybe something even stronger than fate; the blowback from Krypton's destruction jarred Kal's ship just enough for the automatic navigational system to be powered down for a quick moment; such a moment was all it took to alter Kal's course forever more, for when the system came back on the charted course had experienced a bug and was now taking the infant to the very center of Krypton's native galaxy instead of its intended destination.

As one of the oldest civilizations in the known universe; Krypton's indigenous galaxy was likewise equally old and one of the few to possess an ultra-luminous quasar at the center. This supermassive black hole was constantly feeding on the light of the hundreds of billions of stars and gases that orbited around it; said stars bleeding into it with enough concentration for the occasional ultra-burst of light to pierce the center of the galaxy with sufficient brilliance to be seen even from galaxies as far away as the Milky Way. This phenomenon was referred to as a Gamma Burst, and was without a doubt the brightest celestial object in the known universe.

This light extended outwards from the center of the galaxy at far greater lengths than the sheer size of the galaxy itself. This emission contained all the strength and concentrated primordial power of 100-billion stars which had been pulled inside of the black hole over the course of millions or even billions of years, and by the whims of God; Kal's pod just happened to draw near that black hole as it was emitting a gamma burst for the first time in over a billion years.

In the most cosmic-scaled display of laser-firing ever seen by the infant Kal-El; the black hole began to blast all of the starlight and solar radiation it had spent a billion-years collecting… straight at the last son of Krypton's ship. True to Kryptonian engineering; the solar shield on Kal's ship held up even against this onslaught, but for some reason the setting of the shields had developed faults as well from the sheer exposure they were being forced to endure.

This fault changed the intended solar energy alteration setting from yellow sunlight to blue; thus making it so Kal-El was exposed to the power of a 100-billion blue suns… which he would slowly but surely metabolize as his ship fell into the black hole and time ceased to be in its event horizon. Time did eventually start to slow to an eternal crawl; sticking Kal-El in a state of perpetual suspended animation that stopped his body clock entirely… keeping him from aging or maturing in any sense of the word.

His ship's anti-gravity shielding provided just enough protection to keep the black hole from spaghettifying him, but did little else as the baby and his ship began its infinitely slow descent into the outer event horizon. By this point Kal-El was wailing in pure, unendurable agony, but his cries went unheard as his ship was irresistibly pulled inside of the singularity. The entire gamma burst was being converted into blue solar radiation; endowing the child with powers far beyond that of any other Kryptonian in the history of existence, and this was just the beginning of what awaited him inside the black hole.

The ship reached the outer event horizon, and by this point Krypton's lost son fell into a comatose state brought on by the time-stopping effects of the event horizon; a point in the black hole that defied Earth's current understanding of astrophysics. The event horizon was said to be the point of no return; the point where the black hole had you and would never, ever let you go no matter what. Being pulled into its suffocating depths surely meant an inescapable death for most sentient beings, but for Kal-El's current level of invulnerability it was merely a mild increase in pressure by his standards; albeit one he was unconscious to and unaware of as the kaleidoscopic hue of the gamma burst continued to be fed into his cells without end.

Time was rendered meaningless, and Kal resided in the black hole even as an eternity passed him by; blissfully unaware of the events that transpired on his would-be adopted home world as he was lovingly embraced by the black hole's suffocating depths. There were colors swirling all around him in the form of lightning, ice, fire, and a myriad of other elements; not that Kal-El was aware of this, for had he not been unconscious he would've bore witness to an alien beauty that no other creature in the universe could've survived experiencing firsthand.

Despite the eternities passing him by; the unawareness he was trapped in made it seem as though no time had passed at all, so he was equally unknowing of the fact that something was stirring within the black hole; something that had noticed his presence and chosen to manifest there.

' _An eternity stuck inside of a black hole huh. We can't have that, now can we little one. You're the perfect candidate for the IC2 title of Superman, aren't you_?' A voice telepathed pervasively and with a not unfriendly chuckle, but whether it came from within the black hole itself or not was unknown. If the disembodied voice was expecting a response from the comatose baby; it didn't make its expectations known and continued to speak to the tiny infant.

' _Your destiny was already altered the moment your ship got knocked off course little one; this is just one of the many written-off universes where Kal-El dies as a baby in space and never makes it to Earth… so I've opted to take this course of fate into my own hands and give you a brand new destiny and a brand new world to protect and embody the values of. Since you're a baby and all; I won't bother asking for your permission to do this, but know that you would've died had I not asked this singularity to emit its gamma burst a billion-years ahead of schedule or caused that bug in your ship's solar radiation filtering system. You would've been pulled inside and crushed into oblivion… lost forever to the sands of universal time before your story could even truly begin._

_So, by the power invested by Appaneesty OIC2; I hereby dub you the one and only Omni IC2 Counterpart of Superman, Kal-El of Krypton, and the most supremely omnipotent incarnation of yourself in the whole of the ZOF Realm and beyond. Go forth young one and awaken in your new universe; for it has problems and people entirely their own and separate from yours. And know that you will embody the belief that absolute power need not corrupt absolutely._

_This new Earth will be a lot like your old one; it's people capable of being great and desiring to be so also. For this reason, above all… their capacity for good; I will send them you, Superman Omni IC2. Of course, such a rare privilege and sovereign omnipotence will not manifest within you right away child. Your powers will increase with age and will slowly develop into that of a fully-fledged Supreme Omnidony once you've met all the conditions that will be required of you, and worked your way up through the 9 levels of power that I will now be sealing within you. Stage 1 will be in effect upon reaching your eighteenth-year, and from then on your trials and adulations will mature you to the point where you'll be able to unlock Stage 2 and so on._

_Until that time comes however; your powers will be nerfed in an effort to render you capable of relying on others and drawing strength from humanity and their empathy. Make no mistake however, that even as a mere toddler your powers will far exceed those of mortal men, so you will need to learn from your adoptive family on how to control your incredible strength. Lean on them Kal, trust in the goodness of people, and above all… find love._

_I cannot express to you the importance of your emotional entanglements; if you can find that one special person in all of existence who makes you feel normal and special at the same time, then you won't be a lonely alien god any longer. Until that day comes however; I guess this is farewell for now. Godspeed Kal-El Omni IC2, you're going to need all the power, love, and support you can get your hands on when your higher stages of power begin to manifest_.' The disembodied voice of the Entity concluded its lengthy send-off as an unseen, unfathomable force suddenly rushed through the tiny spacecraft and its sole occupant; the inrush of absolute energy causing the pod too suddenly and without warning blast outside of the black hole's inner event horizon and out its other side at a million times the speed of light.

The unexpected motion was enough to jar little Kal-El from his eternally long nap; blissfully unaware of the Godliest of Omnipotent powers sleeping within him as the ship slowed to a much safer landing speed as it came to an unsuspecting blue planet that the navigational systems listed as Earth; though there was something different about it. To Kal-El's instinctual awareness, he could feel that something huge had occurred whilst he had been sleeping within that suffocating mass. Of course, he wasn't cognizant enough to make sense of anything right now, and continued to cry out with real need as the ship breached Earth's atmosphere and began plummeting at terminal velocity towards the country of Japan with all due haste.

XXXXX

_15-years later…_

17-year-old Akio Yuuki was a great many things; the eldest and only adopted child of Saibai and Ringo Yuuki, the older brother to Rito and Mikan Yuuki, and a young man of enormous, untapped potential. Of course, one wouldn't know this just by looking at him; because aside from his being a gangly 6'4" and very obviously not Japanese in either appearance or build, he was as fluent in Japanese culture and language as any of the other children he grew up with here. Of course, his interracial status and charming megawatt smile; along with his natural kindness and flawless musculature and attractiveness made him an instant hit among many of the female student body in his and Rito's local high school… not that he ever bragged about it of course.

None of these things were necessarily indicators that he was different; foreign exchange students were commonplace now, so him being born outside of the country came as no surprise. No, what surprised most people was the fact that his parents had decided to adopt him when they clearly had no trouble with birthing kids; people would often question the circumstances surrounding his adoption, not that they could ever have imagined the actual truth of the matter.

Akio Yuuki had a universe of secrets; secrets that if exposed could potentially cause a worldwide panic, or worse. People were naturally afraid of what they didn't understand, and Saibai often stressed to his eldest child the importance of keeping certain aspects of himself a secret. That didn't stop this unique individual from helping out where he could of course; helping people had become something of a bad habit of his in recent years.

As a matter of fact, one of those very people he was about to help was standing in front of him right now; nervously glancing at a violet-haired beauty he knew his younger brother Rito was crushing on rather heavily. Akio smiled endearingly as he clapped Rito on the shoulder; startling him slightly as he turned around and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the much taller male standing beside him.

"Still getting cold feet huh?" Akio remarked with a teasing grin; though it was a friendly tease.

Rito blushed as red as fire engine while shaking his head in vehement denial. "No way! Today's the day Akio-Senpai; I'm finally going to confess to Haruna-Chan!" The younger of the two brothers declared with zeal as Akio chuckled.

"That's the spirit Rito-San; courage." Akio said while giving him an encouraging smile before opting to give his little brother a nudge in the right direction.

"Hey, Haruna-San; can you come here for a second please? My brother has something he'd like to say to you." Akio called out to the younger female student; seeing his brother blanch as Haruna looked towards them with a surprised expression, and nodded before making her way over to them; saying she'd catch up to her friends in a bit.

"Courage Rito, courage for your love; you can do this." Akio whispered encouragingly; the lack of honorifics when addressing his brother shocking Rito out of his nervousness as Akio gave him a smile and a nod before walking away to give him and Haruna some privacy. He made sure to listen in on their conversation with one ear.

What would've come as a surprise to most people was Akio's astonishing hearing ability; that and his other senses were all dialed up by 11 compared to anyone else he knew. Due to this trait among many others; he was able to hear Rito and Haruna's conversation from the other side of the hallway as though they were right next to him.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about Yuuki-Kun?" Haruna asked him in a shy tone; causing Akio to grin with anticipation as his fists clenched slightly along both his sides. He'd been the captain of this ship for a long time now, and was expecting it to go off without a hitch this time around. Years of encouraging and supporting Rito were about to pay off, or so Akio hoped.

"Well… um… I…" Rito stammered; defaulting to his usual level of awkwardness around girls as Akio facefaulted. He'd been dealing with their romantic tension for years now and couldn't take it anymore; so, in a moment of frustration at his little brother he yelled across the hall.

"Stop stalling and just confess to her already Rito; just do what we practiced and breathe… this is it, this is the deep breath before the plunge! Now take the dive!" He shouted down the hall; startling several passersby as well as Rito and Haruna, but he was way past the point of caring. Rito had been giving him excuse after excuse like the time he got trampled by elephants, and all of the other times he claimed the universe had been out to get him. But that was all they were in the end… excuses to chicken out. Akio was done playing softball, and was ready to deliver some tough brotherly love in order to get the results he knew Rito and Haruna both wanted, and were too nervous to get for themselves. He vowed then and there that if Rito didn't pluck up the courage to confess to her right now; he'd confess for him and make Rito's feelings known by force.

"Give me a second already; stop rushing me Akio-Senpai!" Rito shouted back at him, and Akio shook his head with exasperation. He was hell-bent on making sure this happened right here and now; Rito needed this, and though she was equally shy to admit it… so did Haruna. As someone who'd bore witness to them dancing around their feelings for as long as they had; Akio was sick and tired of waiting for them to get a clue, so yes… he was taking more forceful measures. It was the only way these two were ever going to get anymore in their otherwise nonexistent relationship.

"Ugh, sorry about him… my brother can be a bit of a handful sometimes." He heard Rito mutter apologetically to Haruna; a statement Akio marked down as the most words he ever said to her in one sentence. He gave a quiet fist pump in the name of the small victory, but didn't forget there was a long way to go.

"Don't worry about it; I'm sure he's just looking out for you. You're really lucky to have such a nice brother Yuuki-San." Haruna shyly whispered, and Akio's grin was threatening to split his face at this point.

"Yeah, I'm sure he is to. So, anyways, about what I was going to say…" Rito nervously began to stammer and twiddle his thumbs as Haruna waited on baited breath and Akio tried to will some of his own courage and bravery towards his brother. What happened next was a moment that none of three people currently involved with this conversation would ever forget; because somehow Akio's silent encouragement seemed to reach his younger brother on some metaphysical level.

"Yeah?" Haruna whispered back at him; Akio didn't need to have superhuman hearing or telescopic vision to see that her body language indicated she was eagerly anticipating whatever Rito had to say, and already had a pretty good idea what he had in mind.

"Well I… here we go… Haruna-Chan; I really, really like you, and I was wondering if you would… like to go out with me sometime!" Rito exclaimed a little louder than necessary, but all the same Haruna's eyes widened and Akio's grin broadened to Cheshire proportions. He'd done it… after all of these years; Rito… his younger brother, had finally gotten up the nerve to confess to the girl of his dreams. Anime tears of pure, unadulterated joy and pride for his youthful sibling began to pour down Akio's face in an over-the-top manner upon hearing those wonderful words.

What made it even sweeter still was what happened when Haruna finally got over her shock… she smiled and blushed at the same time, and in a rare display of boldness on her part she clasped Rito's hand in her own. "I… I'd like that a lot Yuuki-Kun." She merrily responded, and Akio could hear the gymnastics routine her heart was performing in her chest from way the hell over where he was standing.

"Please, call me Rito." Rito insisted in a dazed manner, the surrealism of this situation hitting him pretty hard; prompting an even bigger blushing smile from her as she nodded.

"Okay, Rito-Chan." She giggled, and just like that the two of them were both lost in their own little world which consisted solely of the two of them. It was at precisely this moment that Yui-San stepped in; attempting to restore some semblance of order to the select few witnesses of Rito and Haruna's newfound relationship status.

"Okay, break it up you two; you both have classes soon and while that was really sweet and all… I'd rather not have you two doing anything indecent in public. Kiss each other and all that in your own time." Yui declared in a no-nonsense tone as Akio recovered from his moment of older-brotherly pride and caught both Rito and Haruna's eyes as they began to go to their next class together.

Already he could tell Rito was walking on sunshine and looked a thousand times happier than he'd seen him in a long time, and he gave the both of them a cheeky wink and an approving nod and smile as he also turned to head towards his next class… which just so happened to be advanced biochemistry; a strong indicator of just how intelligent Akio was and how much his 'super-brain' as Mikan called it allowed him to excel at all of his classes.

As he continued to beam with absolute pride and practically float towards the last class of the day; Akio couldn't help but feel like his presence here made all the difference in Rito's ability to confess. He would even go as far as to say it wouldn't have happened anywhere near this soon without him. He couldn't help but feel happy that he was able to help in that regard; even as he got the unsettling feeling that his presence here would continue to change a lot more about the world around him.

XXXXX

"Akio, pinch me so I know I'm not dreaming." Rito whispered in an absolutely dreamy tone as Akio snorted with amusement; the lack of honorifics Rito used regarding him something he reserved for when they were home. When they were both at school or in another public place Rito liked to address him more formally; something he didn't mind, even if Rito's pure awe and admiration of him made the older brother a little uncomfortable. Still, the fact he addressed him casually at all was a start.

Figures his little brother would not have accepted the reality of this situation; not even after they had gotten home or when Akio had phoned their little sister Mikan to tell her what's up and to help Rito with getting ready for his date later this evening. They were currently relaxing on the couch at home after Akio treated his little brother to a night out on the town now that he had taken one step closer to becoming a man, and Rito gave a sharp cry when Akio pinched him as gently as he could manage; which was still hard enough to leave the slightest bit of bruising due to Akio's incredible strength. Mikan had already treated them both to dinner and even cooked all of Akio and Rito's favorites for them; to reward them for their involvement in Rito's change in relationship status.

"Sorry…" Akio whispered apologetically; hating that he couldn't even do such a simple interaction with his own family members without hurting them unintentionally.

"It's okay." Rito assured, even while he rubbed his arm absentmindedly. Akio was pleasantly surprised when Rito started literally whooping with glee.

"But that means that I really did it! Oh my God! What am I going to wear?! I'm so not prepared to take Haruna-Chan out on a date tonight!" He transitioned from excited to panic-stricken so fast that even Akio was impressed by the speed of his mood-swings.

"Relax Rito; Mikan said you can count on her full support all the way, remember. She also said to tell you that she's proud of you to." Akio reassured him as Rito nodded; managing to compose himself slightly despite looking like he'd just won the lottery. Akio couldn't really blame him; this was an important milestone in any man's journey… yet another interaction between normal people that Akio was secretly envious of.

"Haruna-Chan likes me… she really, really likes me!" Rito exclaimed while twisting his body back and forth with years-worth of pent-up, unresolved romantic feelings.

"See, told you that you had nothing to worry about Rito; everything went exactly as you hoped… the only thing standing in the way of you finding your first love was you." Akio encouragingly responded. Rito took a moment to regard his older brother with a thoughtful look.

"You know, I couldn't have done… any of this without you Akio. I know that because of your abilities you think you're better off alone, but if there's ever anything I can do to help you when the time comes for you to find someone; just let me know, okay?" Rito thoughtfully offered; wanting to return the favor someday as Akio nodded, even if he didn't personally believe he'd find somebody.

"I just wish I knew where I came from, and why I was sent here; I still don't know who I am or why I can do the things that I do. And… until I find out what the reasons for all that are; I'll never be able to get in a relationship 100 percent." Akio admitted with a heavy expression on his face; one that looked appropriate to a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. Rito wished there was something he could say or do to help, but no matter how close he and his brother were there were some aspects of his life that Rito would never fully understand.

"I'm sure the answers are out there somewhere. Are you still planning on travelling the world after you graduate?" Rito asked him conversationally as Akio nodded in affirmation.

"Yes, even if it takes me the rest of my life; I owe it to myself to do everything I can to find the answers I seek Rito." Akio responded in a severe tone as Rito nodded understandingly.

"Does it ever scare you; what I am and what I can do?" Akio asked him suddenly, surprising Rito with the suddenness of the question; seeing the look of extreme vulnerability in his brother's eyes as he sat still and awaited his answer… looking like he was dreading the very thought of Rito or Mikan ever being afraid of him. To Akio's surprise however, Rito shook his head vehemently in denial.

"No… because no matter where you came from or what you can do; you're still our brother Akio, and I'm sure if you asked Mikan she'd tell you the same thing. Truth be told, we're both in awe of you; you're the most powerful being on the planet, and you couldn't be more humble. You're a man of unbreakable steel, and yet you have a heart of pure gold. You're a god among us, a Kami-Sama, yet you couldn't be more human in all the ways that really matter. Add to that the fact that you've always been there for us when Mikan and I needed you; protected us from bullies, helped us with our homework, cooked us meals, scolded us when we needed it, and even saved our lives a couple of times and the lives of people you've never even met. You're a superhero Akio; you're our superhero." Rito told him with absolute reverence as Akio held a hand over his mouth and felt tears of pure gratitude gathering at the corner of his eyes. He surprised Rito with a bear-hug of back-cracking proportions.

"Thank you Rito." He whispered shakily once he pulled away, and Rito nodded with a radiant smile as the two of them continued to relax in the living room without needing to say anything else. Both brothers were unaware that Mikan had been listening in as well, and felt her own tears welling up before she willed them back and managed to maintain her composure. She greeted them both in the living room.

"Jeez, I can't believe both my brothers are so mature now." She teasingly remarked as she plopped down on the couch between them.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far; I've still got a long way to go." Akio sheepishly replied; as modestly as ever as Mikan hid her smile behind her hand. Rito's response was simply to blush sheepishly, though he had an ecstatic grin on his face as he thought about Haruna.

"I just can't believe I finally got up the courage to say it, or that everything worked out the way it did; maybe I ought to take you along with me on our date Akio… you seem to be a good luck charm." Rito suggested with a smile as Akio shook his head.

"I ain't going to be a third wheel on you guy's date; you've got this in the bag Rito, and I've been helping you with your clumsiness to so just try not to let your 'acts of God' trip you up." His older brother suggestively reminded him as Rito flushed 50 shades of crimson. The thought of accidentally groping Haruna-Chan and ruining the mood for their date both terrified and aroused him; not that he'd ever admit to the latter.

As though he were reading his mind; Akio laughed before he vanished in a whirl of super-speeding motion… able to use his powers much more openly now that he was home with only his siblings for company. At this point, his ability to vanish in such a way barely even phased Mikan and Rito anymore; though it understandably took them years to get used to his entrances and exits.

Akio reemerged from super speed in the bathroom completely naked with his favorite towel wrapped around his waist. He began pouring his bathwater and let the steam sweep through the bathroom before he stepped inside and somehow managed to fit in the tub. Due to how big he grew in recent years; his parents had paid to upgrade the bathroom and get a bigger bathtub, since the hot water was extremely soothing on Akio's skin.

True to the nature of his invulnerability; the eldest Yuuki child put the temperature setting as hot as it could go and moaned with satisfaction as he luxuriated in the scalding water. Any normal human would've been burnt as red as a cooked lobster in this superheated bathtub, but to Akio it could've been a lot hotter without even bothering him. He smiled as he remembered the first time he took something out of the oven without any oven mitts on; he'd scared the shit out of Mikan that day, and the chewing out she'd given him afterwards had been well worth it just to see her reaction. One day he planned to really test his limits by bathing in 2000 degree lava, but honestly wasn't sure if even he could survive extremes like that.

"Ah, man… that's the stuff; I'm seriously considering just spending the entire evening in here. Though I'm pretty sure Mikan is going to suggest that Rito takes a bath before his date." Akio commented aloud to himself; suddenly sitting sharply forward as he became aware of the air in the room changing and the bathwater in front of his legs churning and bubbling unexpectedly. His eyes widened as the atmospheric pressure seemed to increase immensely all around him, and stood to his feet with apprehension.

"What the hell is going on?!" He exclaimed in a questioning tone, running through any number of hypothetical scenarios, but nothing could've prepared him for what happened next. An orb of pink light suddenly burst into existence right before his eyes, and something materialized in front of him as his neurons fired at a much higher rate and his inertial reference frame sped up on instinct in some effort to process what was going on. The bathtub suddenly and without warning exploded; spilling water everywhere in the process.

Akio instinctively reached his hands up to shield his face from the explosion, only to find his hands groping something that was very clearly warm and naked orbs of flesh. Not as oblivious as his younger brother about these sorts of things; Akio felt the velvety smooth texture of whoever's skin he was touching as he chanced a glance at them and opened his eyes. Said eyes bulged rather comically upon seeing what had to be the most gorgeous woman he'd ever bore witness to; with long pink hair and shimmering green eyes. What made it even worse were the size of her bust and the slimness of her waist; not to mention the fact that he was unintentionally copping a feel of said bust. "Escape successful!" She exclaimed in an adorable tone and with a sweet smile etched on her face.

"Whoa… what the hell?!" Akio screamed at the top of his lungs as he fell over backwards back inside the bathtub… too terrified to even move at this point as the girl became aware of his presence; her green orbs locking with his blue with a dazzling smile on her face. The two of them continued to look at each other in a daze before Akio did the only sensible thing he could… he got up and ran from the bathtub at super speed. He was completely uncaring of the fact that he was buck ass naked and didn't stop until he was already in his bedroom with the door slammed shut behind him as he leaned up against it; his heart hammering harder than he ever thought it could.

"Who… or what was that?!" He questioned aloud to himself as he tried not to hyperventilate; no doubt Mikan had heard the ruckus he caused by now and was coming upstairs to check on him. As if on cue, a knock was heard on his door and Mikan's voice came from behind it.

"Akio… are you okay in there? What happened?" She asked in in an obviously concerned voice.

"Girl… naked… in the bathroom… just randomly appeared out of nowhere… bathtub exploded!" Akio managed to get the gist of what he saw across to his sister, and after a moment of silence stretched on between them Mikan spoke again.

"Sorry brother, but there's nobody in the bathroom now; just lots of steam in the air and superhot water, just the way you like it." Mikan told him as Akio's eyes widened.

"Wait, what?! She was literally standing in the bathtub over me; are you sure there's nobody there now Mikan?!" He practically demanded.

"Nope… sorry to dash your sudden display of perverted fantasizing big brother, but there is nobody there. Are you absolutely certain you haven't just had a few too many superhot baths?" Mikan giggled teasingly, prompting a defensive response from Akio.

"I know what I saw Mikan, and I've been having baths like that since before you were born so if they were going to affect my state of mind they would've done so years ago!" He vehemently protested; knowing his sister meant no harm but figuring that after all the strange things she'd seen him do she'd be a little more open-minded. He heard her sigh in resignation.

"You're right, I shouldn't have just dismissed what you saw in there; still, whoever they were they didn't stick around for very long. Hey, do you think it could be someone like you Akio? What if they're as fast as you are?! Maybe you'll finally get a girlfriend you won't break like a china doll!" She suddenly started to grow excited as she ran through all sorts of theories on who the mystery girl could be.

"I don't know Mikan; maybe it was just in my head. Anyways, I might as well get dressed since I'm out of the shower anyways." Akio informed her as he heard Mikan nod before she made her way back downstairs to finish helping Rito with his date preparations. After she left, Akio took a moment to think about what his sister said; about whether this was somehow evidence of more of his kind existing out there somewhere. For reasons he couldn't put a finger on; he highly doubted it was that simple, and was just about to get up from the floor in front of his door to get dressed when he felt a presence coming in through his bedroom window.

"Whew… that was refreshing; hey, you wouldn't mind if I borrowed a towel, would you?" The pink-haired girl from before asked him as she climbed in through his open window; to say Akio was terrified, astonished, and more than a little flustered by the girl's stark nakedness was a vast understatement. He flew back towards the far wall as the girl gave a contented stretching of her arms and made herself straight at home in his bedroom… blissfully ignorant of Akio's heart threatening to burst from his chest or the roaring, churning feeling of panic that came with the thought of losing one's mind.

"Who… who the hell are you?!" He demanded once he regained the power of coherent speech. The girl looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before smiling.

"Me? I'm Lala." She informed him without hesitation.

"Lala?" He repeated questioningly.

"Yep… I came from the planet Deviluke." She confided while nodding in affirmation to him. Even while terrified out of his mind; Akio immediately paused when she said this.

"D-Deviluke?" He once again repeated one of her words back to her in a questioning tone.

"Yes, the planet Deviluke." She reaffirmed, and Akio suddenly felt a wave of calm wash over him; at least the otherworldliness of this situation made more sense now. He could deal with stuff like this as long as he knew it was alien; that may have had something to do with the fact he was more terrified of the thought of losing his mind than he ever was of the thought of aliens existing.

"So, you're an alien huh… why should I believe you?" He asked her, and Lala immediately noticed how his tone became much more guarded, vigilant, and calculating while asking her this. She was a little bit curious about the shift in demeanor, but decided to hold off on that for now and confirm her species to him.

"Well, I guess that's what I'd be called from an earthling's point of view." She smiled while walking over to him; one of his spare towels the only thing protecting her modesty. Akio felt a heated blush coming on but willed it back; he wasn't nearly so easily flustered by a woman's presence as his younger brother and met her gaze unflinchingly.

"Is this for real?" He asked her in a steady tone; surprising her with how well he was taking this news all of a sudden.

"You don't believe me?" She asked him in a somewhat hurt tone, and Akio arched an eyebrow at her.

"I can't believe you would even ask me something like that; how could I accept something like that at face value? I think I'd need a little more proof than that, wouldn't you? Not to mention the fact that you're speaking fluent Japanese." He skeptically claimed. Lala grew a big smile as she thought of a way to confirm her extraterrestrial origins to him.

"Then take a look at this." She instructed him; spinning around and lifting her towel to reveal her naked ass to him, but that was not what got his attention- though he did note that she had a really nice ass- it was the very obvious tail extending out from her rear and ending in a heart-shaped tip.

"Earthlings don't have these, right?" She asked him as though that weren't already obvious; giggling at the look on his face, his eyes wide with utter fascination and awe as he gulped somewhat nervously.

"Um… oh, wow, that's actually really cool. Uh… can I touch it?" He asked in a tone of awe and wonder; still not fully comprehending what he was seeing and surprised when Lala blushed at his question.

"Um… okay." She whispered a little shyly, and picking up on this Akio immediately waved his hands in a placating manner.

"I'm sorry, I don't have to touch it or anything; I've just never seen anything like this before and I wanted further proof that it was real, but if you're not comfortable with it that's fine. The proof is right in front of my eyes anyways." He reassuringly whispered, and Lala threw him a close-eyed smile; touched by his sweetness.

"It's okay, our species' tails are just really sensitive; that's all." She replied.

"Then I won't touch it unless you want me to." Akio said back to her; pretty sure he knew what she was implying and not wanting to make her uncomfortable in any way… especially after he'd unintentionally groped her breasts earlier in the bathroom.

"One more question Lala; if you really are an alien… why suddenly appear in my bathroom of all places?" Akio wondered. If what she said is true then maybe she could give him some of the answers he sought about his own extraterrestrial origins.

"That's because… ta-da!" She exclaimed in a sing-song voice as she revealed her left wrist; which had some kind of rabbit-like bracelet attached to it.

"I used this… the Hopping Warp-Kun I made!" She added excitedly, and Akio couldn't help but smile a little bit. So, she liked to dabble with inventions and tinker huh… that was something they both had in common. Though he kept most of his more dangerous and unearthly experiments under lock and key. The telescope he had set up by his window was indicative of his being a huge astrophysics nerd, and the perfectly tended flowers in his backyard garden was due to his having an even bigger green thumb than Rito. Frankly, he had a lot of different hobbies. It kept his mind active and busy; distracting him from the loneliness of growing up as one of a kind… even if only for a little while.

"I can't exactly set where I want it to go, but it allows a living thing to warp across short distances." She elaborated further as Akio smirked.

"I guess you can't expect such things to be an exact science huh?" He grinned, and she smiled while shaking her head in agreement.

"Hehe, nope… basically; I used this in my spaceship's escape pod, and coincidentally warped into your bathroom." She explained to him as he nodded; this whole situation starting to make a lot more sense even if there were still a few pieces missing.

"Why would you need to warp from your spaceship though?" He asked her, watching as the smile on her face became a little bit more serious.

"I'm being chased…" She admitted, and Akio sighed while nodding silently in understanding; his mind a turmoil of thoughts and feelings that spawned from a lifetime of searching for answers. He wanted to help her of course, but he wouldn't deny that he had ulterior motives for doing so. This girl could've been the answer to so many of his unanswered questions, and he didn't think it was by accident that he met her. Out of all the billions of people on the planet and however many were taking a bath at the same time as him… what were the odds that he was the one she'd end up teleporting to? There's no way this could be a coincidence, and walking over to his sock drawer he pulled out the only sock in his dresser that wasn't part of a matching set and pulled out the one and only thing his parents had been able to find on his spaceship with him. Lala carried on explaining her situation; unaware of what he was up to as he pulled out the unremarkable green crystal that had been completely unresponsive since day one.

"I thought I'd be safe if I came to Earth, but my pursuers arrived, and my ship was heavily damaged. I was on the verge of being captured and taken back again. If I hadn't used this ring, right now I'd…" She broke off by that point, unwilling to finish her statement as she looked over to her new Earthling friend; who seemed to be taking all of this rather well… a little too well if she was being perfect honest.

"I am sorry to hear that Lala, and I can't imagine what you might've gone through to get here, but I can say that you meeting me was no accident. I could actually use your help with something in return… if you don't mind that is?" He requested of her suddenly, pulling something that looked like a faintly glowing green crystal from inside a single sock in his sock drawer; before reluctantly handing it to her and studying her face for any sort of reaction. Lala's eyes widened as she tentatively took what seemed to be some sort of data crystal from her new friend; just from a glance she could tell that it contained an unbelievable amount of knowledge within it, but had no idea where it came from.

"Where did you get this?" She asked him in a hushed tone; unable to believe an Earthling could've stumbled on such a find. Many out there in the galaxy beyond Earth would pay a small fortune for a Data Crystal with as much stored information as this one seemed to have.

"I was found with it… when I crash-landed to Earth 15-years-ago. I'm like you Lala; well, I'm an alien like you but without the tail… unless the male versions of your species don't have them, but something tells me I'm a completely different alien altogether. Still, you're the first fellow alien I've ever seen, and I was um… hoping you might have some idea what my… planet of origin was. I've been searching for answers my entire life; only to come up empty-handed each and every time. But, maybe you can help me; there has to be a reason why I of all people am the one you teleported into the bathroom of." He confided in her with such naked honesty in his astonishingly blue eyes that Lala couldn't bring herself to doubt him. She was shocked by the idea that another alien being had dwelled on this planet without answers for that long. She felt her heart squeeze with compassion in response to his explanation; the fact that he had searched for answers his entire life made her wish more than anything that she could help him, and made her feel awful that she couldn't give him more information.

"I'm so sorry you had to go through something like that growing up… I can only imagine how out-of-place you must've felt here on Earth, but I'm afraid I must disappoint you. I have no idea where this crystal came from either; I've never seen anything like it actually. It's a great deal more advanced than any of the data storage devices that I've seen." She replied in a remorseful tone; her chest clenching with guilt when she saw his excitement die in his eyes… the way he just deflated compelling her to help him somehow.

"Hey, cheer up there… just because I don't have the answer doesn't mean there isn't one; it's a big universe, and maybe if we work together we can find some clue about your origins." She optimistically added as Akio nodded; though he still looked more than a little disappointed.

"Lala-Sama; you're okay!" A voice suddenly exclaimed with excitement as something resembling a robot with swirly eyes came flying through the window right into the pink-haired beauty's waiting arms; startling Akio with its surprise entrance.

"Peke! I'm glad you were able to escape safely!" Lala responded, equally as excited as she pulled the odd-looking robot into her arms and the two of them embraced like old friends reuniting.

"Yes! I'm glad the ship hadn't left the Earth's atmosphere." Peke said. It turned to see Akio examining them closely and smiling at their hug.

"Lala-Sama… who's the Earthling staring at us?" The robot asked her rather impolitely; though if the eldest Yuuki sibling was at all offended, he didn't show it. Before Lala could answer however, the aforementioned Earthling beat her to it.

"My adopted name is Akio Yuuki; you're in my house, and I'm not actually an Earthling at all." He said, realizing he never actually introduced himself as Lala smiled and Peke's swirly eyes looked at him questioningly.

"Oh, so you're Akio Yuuki; this is Peke… an all-purpose costume robot that I made." Lala said while introducing the robot.

"Nice to meet you." Peke simply greeted, and Akio smiled. He arched an eyebrow when Lala immediately removed her towel; revealing her naked body to him in all of its glory as she turned to Peke.

"Well then, Peke, do your stuff!" She instructed the robot in a cheerful voice.

"Roger!" The little robot obediently replied, and what happened next was enough to overwhelm even Akio's considerable shock threshold.

"Change! Dress Form!" Peke exclaimed with practiced ease. A burst of blue light erupted throughout the room and silhouetted Lala's naked body, and within seconds Peke had wrapped around her body in several places before transforming into the sort of outfit that would look really good for cosplaying in. Akio could see that its design was based somewhat off of Peke; with Lala's hat containing the little robot's swirly-eyes and face. The blue light faded to reveal Lala properly clothed for the first time since Akio met her; he could honestly say that as a male he approved of the choice in outfits.

"Is it too tight, Lala-Sama?" Peke asked, and Akio couldn't keep his mind from conjuring the image of Lala in much-too-tight clothing. He wasn't a pervert by any stretch of the imagination, but when a hot alien girl appeared in your room it was hard not to think perverted things. Still, his parents didn't raise a shameless, immoral rapist and alien girl or not, there was a proper way to treat a lady.

"Nope, it's perfect! I'm glad you got here so fast Peke!" Lala responded with a happy sigh, and Akio had to suppress the urge to smile again. For an alien girl; this Lala character was remarkably easy to smile around… she just had such an uplifting aura about her. And as a fellow alien… he couldn't help feeling responsible for her, and he would've felt that way even without his adoptive father Saibai drilling it into his head constantly to take responsibility for his actions.

"What do you think Akio? Isn't it magnificent?" She said while flourishing her outfit for him, and he chuckled at her antics while nodding.

"You look really, really pretty in that Lala." He whispered sincerely; having been incapable of lying right from the day he was born. It was always easier to stick to the truth anyways.

The girl beamed at him for the compliment. "Thanks." She whispered somewhat shyly, a blush dusting her cheeks as Akio bumbled around somewhat awkwardly; this was by far the longest conversation he'd had with anyone outside of his family. Growing up with his abilities had made it notoriously difficult for him to get close to anyone.

"What's wrong?" Lala wondered; sensing his unease.

"Nothing, I mean… not really; it's just that, this is the longest conversation I've ever had with anyone outside of my Earthly family, or maybe Haruna-Chan. She's my younger brother's friend and just recently his girlfriend, but honestly… my parents were always really strict about me making friends with other kids; because I could so easily hurt them or something. I wasn't even allowed to try out for any sports, and at first I thought I was being punished for not being human, but honestly; I've just sort of learned to live with it and take solace in my reading and many other hobbies." He confided in her, prompting a sympathetic look from the alien girl and another look of confusion from Peke; who continued to observe Akio curiously from on top of Lala's head.

' _Fascinating… now that I'm looking at him properly; I can see he was telling the truth earlier. But, I've never seen any alien species quite like him before. I wonder what Lala thinks of him_?' Peke mused to herself internally.

"I'm sorry, it sounds like you had a rough childhood growing up, if you had been found on Deviluke we would've welcomed you freely and without prejudice towards your alien powers, but even though we're not the same kind of alien I'd like it if we could be friends." Lala told him with such warmhearted sincerity that Akio couldn't resist smiling again.

"I'd like that as well." He agreed.

"By the way Lala-Sama, what do you intend to do now?" Peke said, asking the important question.

Lala glanced upwards at the top of her head to look Peke's hat form; a happy smile on her face. "Well, about that… I have an idea." She informed them, but whatever she had in mind didn't get to be said aloud because in that moment Akio's open window was suddenly entered by two intimidating men in black suits… both of whom moved to block off Lala's means of escape.

"You're such a bothersome person. We should've tied your arms and legs before you left for Earth. We should have forbidden your freedom." The first grunt said in a serious tone; Akio quickly connecting the dots and deducing that these people were her aforementioned pursuers.

Lala had an annoyed look on her face. "Peke." She whispered in a dangerous tone; making the costume robot flinch with a start on top of her head.

"Y-Yes?" She nervously asked her creator.

"I'm sure I told you to make sure no one follows you." She reminded the poor robot with the adorably annoyed look still on her face; Akio watching what was transpiring with a calculating look on his face. He'd have some serious explaining to do to Rito and Mikan later on, but right now he was preparing to intervene if those men in black tried anything.

"Yes…" Peke confirmed; dreading what came next as Lala immediately started shouting.

"You stupid robot! Everything's gone up in smoke now!" She yelled in exclamation as Akio continued to surreptitiously watch; the intruders more or less unaware of his presence.

"I'm sorry!" Peke shouted back, but at this point Akio wasn't even paying attention to their heated exchange anymore and was more concerned with the immediate problem in front of him. The men in black began closing in on her a step at a time as Akio likewise unconsciously took a step closer to the scene; already running through different scenarios in his mind and prepared to accept the ramifications for interfering.

"Lala-Sama, why don't you use the bracelet again?" Peke suggested in a half-hopeful tone.

"Impossible, that bracelet needs to recharge its energy for a full day before I can use it again." Lala responded in a displeased tone, and Akio's eyes narrowed slightly as one of the men in black grabbed hold of Lala's arm.

"Now, let's go!" The man said in an even tone as Lala struggled in his grasp.

"No! Let go!" She shouted back at him, and it was at this point that Akio moved to intercept; no longer caring if the whole house heard him or if he outed his secret to everyone in the neighborhood… only caring that he kept Lala safe from her would-be kidnapers.

Grabbing the first man holding Lala by the scruff of his shirt and lifting him clear off the ground; Akio lightly tossed him through his bedroom door… splinters and all. Before the other man could even think to launch a follow-up attack; Akio was already on him as well and tossed him in the same direction, managing to hit the other guard getting up with the body of the other before he grabbed Lala by the hand and jumped clear out of the window with her… landing on the back lawn without any injury and without slowing down.

"Akio, why are you helping me?" Lala asked him; squeaking with surprise when the remarkably tall alien male grabbed her in a bridal carry and leapt clear over the rooftop of his own house and landed deftly on said roof with her wrapped up in his muscular arms. She was surprised by the otherworldly feat, but only because it was confirmation of what Akio was telling her before; there were plenty of aliens who could jump like that… though his physical strength was pretty impressive.

"I'm not really sure… all I know is I'm not going to let them kidnap you Lala. I don't care what kind of backwards world they come from; that simply isn't right." He responded in a resolute voice as Lala watched him running with her over the rooftops; surprised by his remarkable speed and having the distinct impression he was slowing down for her sake.

"If you really have these kinds of powers; you can cut loose around me Akio… I really wouldn't mind. In fact, it may help us get away from them." Lala suggested as the both of them landed on the pavement of the nearest street with cratering impact and continued running. Lala continued to be impressed by her new friend's seemingly endless stamina; the fact that he was running while also carrying her was something to be admired, and the look of pure determination on his face as he tried to protect her made her blush against her will.

She unwittingly thought back to when they first met… when her arrival resulted in him accidentally groping her breasts; she knew he was probably just trying to instinctively shield himself from the explosion of his bathtub, but in her world the act of grabbing a female's breasts was the equivalent of a marriage proposal. It was an extremely outdated type of proposal, and more than a few inhabitants of the Deviluke Planet thought it depraved, but for whatever reason her father allowed it to still be legal. Her sister Momo referred to their father Gid Lucian Deviluke as a colossal pervert, and she wasn't so innocent that she necessarily disagreed with her.

They reached the local park with some benches as one of the men in black lifted an 18-wheeler clear over his head and threw it at them. Akio would've found that feat of strength inhuman and terrifying if he was anyone but what he was, but to both of their pursuers' surprise and Lala's, Akio move forward and caught the colossal vehicle… with one hand; stopping its momentum cold much to the chagrin of the laws of physics. Another violation of those laws was how Akio managed to hold it aloft as though it were lighter than air; carrying it in one hand as he did without it crumpling under its own bulk should've been impossible, and yet here he was doing exactly that. Lala and the men in black all looked to someone the latter two believed to be a mere earthling as Akio got a dangerous glint in his eyes.

"Hey, I think you dropped this!" He shouted before tossing it back at the man who'd thrown it in the first place, and with twice as much momentum. The pursuer might've been able to catch it also if it hadn't been thrown back with such enormous power, but instead it collided with him hard enough to send him soaring through the air several dozen meters only to meteorically impact the ground. The 18-wheeler was torn to pieces from the sheer force of being thrown in such a way.

"What the, how the hell did a mere earthling manage to…?" The second man in black paused when he saw the protective look in the human's eyes; his own eyes widening slightly as he began to reconsider his options. Perhaps he and his comrade had been a bit abrasive, and if this earthling was as physically strong as he just demonstrated; then they were in for a world of hurt.

"Bear in mind I wasn't using even a single percentage of my overall strength to toss that thing back at you. Now, I'm normally a pretty fair and reasonable guy who believes in doing the right thing no matter what; I've got a long fuse honed from years of turning the other cheek when pushed by childhood bullies growing up, but one thing I will not stand for is the attempted kidnapping of an innocent girl! But by all means, go ahead and continue coming after us. I've lived my entire life feeling like I live in a world made of… cardboard, always taking constant care not to break something or someone, never allowing myself to lose control… not even for a moment or someone could die. But you guys can take it, can't you? What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose, and show you the tiniest indicator of just how powerful I really am." Akio stated to everyone in the vicinity in a dangerous tone, and while Lala was smiling dazzlingly at her knight in shining armor the men in black were sweating profusely with apprehension as both realized they'd bitten off more than they could chew.

Lala's eyes were shining as Akio continued to stand between her and her pursuers in a protective stance, and just when it seemed the men in black were finally going to back off; an echoic voice that Lala knew only too well addressed all four of them. "My, my… how valiant." Zastin commented, his voice coming from the giant spacecraft that had appeared in the sky above them. Akio's eyes narrowed even more dangerously as a beam of blue light struck the ground between them and the men in black and a light-haired man in skeletal armor and a dark cape.

"Zastin." Lala hissed with annoyance; giving the new arrival a name to go by as Zastin addressed Akio himself with a wave of his arm.

"Get out of the way earthling… outsiders shouldn't meddle in our affairs." He commanded Akio authoritatively, surprised when Akio continued to stand his ground.

"I'm an outsider to genius; when's the last time you saw an earthling catch an 18-wheeler truck like your men in suits behind you there? Besides, the second you all came to my adopted planet and attempted to kidnap Lala; you made it my business, and I intend to meddle all the way." He shrewdly responded. Zastin took a moment to consider his words, and realized he was right; from what he understood, no ordinary human being of the planet Earth should've been capable of such a feat, especially with the ridiculous amount of ease that this earthling achieved it.

"Who are you?" Zastin decided to ask, holding off on his mission to recapture the princess for now and indulging his curiosity for the moment.

"My name is Akio Yuuki; at least that's the name my adopted Earth parents gave me, when they found my ship after it crash-landed 15-years-ago. Beyond that, I know little of what I am or where I came from. Now, what do you all want with Lala?" The young man responded with little hesitancy or fear; Zastin couldn't help finding his bravery admirable even as he turned to address Lala.

"Lala-Sama, it's time you put a stop to this! This running away from home!" Zastin exclaimed while ignoring Akio's question; though weirdly enough his statement did clear up a lot of his questions anyways.

He turned to Lala with arched eyebrows; surprised to see her unwavering determination to stay right where she was. "Running away from home huh? I trust you had a good reason for that Lala." He said, deciding to put his faith in her.

"I've had enough! I don't care about successors! Every single day is one marriage interview after another!" She protested vehemently as Akio's arched eyebrow turned into a grin. Somehow, he could see her growing tired of having to beat away the boys with a stick… she certainly was pretty enough for that to be a problem, but he got the distinct impression it was a bigger problem than that. Her gaze met his, and he noticed she looked apologetic.

"That being said; I'm sorry I got you involved in all of this Akio… especially when you've got your own stuff to deal with." She guiltily whispered to him.

"It's really not that big of a deal Lala; besides, I don't particularly care for these guys attempting to whisk you away against your will." He reassuringly stated as his gaze me Zastin's as well.

"This isn't your concern… I don't know who or what you are Akio Yuuki, but I do know this is a family matter which doesn't include you. Lala-Sama, this is your father's will." Zastin replied as though attempting to kidnap a sweet and innocent girl wasn't a crime; perhaps it wasn't on whatever planet they came from, but here they played by the rules of humanity, and Akio intended to hold them to it.

"Papa doesn't have anything to do with this either!" Lala stated as she brought up what looked like a flip-up phone; though Akio could instantly tell it was much more than that.

"Transfer! Go! Go! Vacuum-Kun!" Lala exclaimed as she pressed a series of buttons on the old-fashioned cell-phone looking device. Akio's eyes widened as a beam of pink light erupted from the phone as Lala held it outstretched in her right hand; the beam blasting into the air before stopping at about three times Akio's height; before materializing what looked like a massive squid with a suction-cup mouth from seemingly out of nowhere.

Akio stared at the floating alien construct with unmistakable awe and wonder as his eyes turned into Anime stars; feeling a series of chills travel up and down his spine simultaneously as Zastin and the men in black immediately blanched upon seeing it.

"What?!" Zastin questioningly exclaimed.

"This is bad… it's one of Lala-Sama's inventions!" Thing-One added, or was it Thing-Two? Akio honestly didn't really care at this point, all he could focus on was the otherworldly sight taking place right in front of him, and he held a hand over his mouth as it opened in gleeful astonishment.

A huge vacuum of air began to encapsulate the landscape all around them as the squid-like contraption drew in copious amounts of air inside its mouth; it's pull reminding Akio of those F5 Tornados he saw on TV's as he heard Lala making a declaration over the sound of the screaming winds; able to hear her because of his super-hearing.

"Come on! Suck them in!" She commanded it, and with all the obedience one could expect from such a mindless contraption; it began to do just that as everything in the local park began to fly into the thing's mouth. Akio cackled like a maniac while happily bearing witness to both men in black and Zastin being pulled inside and disappearing; though his mania transitioned into slight concern when it showed no signs of stopping and he turned to Lala with furrowed eyebrows.

"Um, could you maybe turn that thing off now Lala? I think you beat them!" He suggested while attempting to remain on solid ground; the suctioning powers of the vacuum growing ever-stronger as it began to pull in the swing-set, the park benches, trash cans, and even the tops of the trees.

He turned around to see her floating in midair on a pair of black wings; obviously deep in thought as Peke noticed this also. "What's the matter Lala-Sama?" She asked her creator.

"Well… how do you turn this off, again?" She asked the costume robot as though somehow expecting her to have the answer. Akio shook his head with amused exasperation before he chuckled; surprised when the vacuum of air grew strong enough to start pulling him off the ground as well.

"I'm sorry Lala, I'm mourning the impending doom of such a wondrous contraption while saying this, but I'm going to have to destroy your invention." Akio called out to her in a matter-of-fact tone; all while laughing his ass off at the absurdity of this whole situation.

With that aside, Lala watched in star-struck awe as her new friend's eyes started glowing a burning, fiery red before he did something she'd never seen anyone do before, not even the mightiest of Deviluke's royal bloodline. The very power of the sun itself seemed to burst from both his eyes in two laser-like arcs of pure, concentrated heat and solar energy; cutting through her Vacuum-Kun with explosive precision like a red-hot knife through half-melted butter.

It was one of the most amazing superpowers she'd ever bore witness to, and that was truly saying something. Such a remarkable display of power would've had Momo practically drooling at the sight of him; hell, power was a highly attractive trait to all three princesses of Deviluke, even if they wouldn't admit it. More than that though, they were attracted to men of unfailing kindness; so the fact that Akio had both qualities was a huge plus in her books.

That was the main issue really; most of their suitors were disgusting pigs that only cared about them as prizes, as shortcuts to the throne of Deviluke, or as sexual objects. But from what she'd observed, Akio didn't seem to care about any of that and valued her as a person; hell, he didn't even start flaunting his many remarkable features until it came time to protect her. That alone spoke volumes of his character, and made him out to be exactly the kind of person she looked for in a potential suitor.

The constant vacuuming of everything around them was abruptly cut off as one of her oldest inventions fell to the ground in thousands of pieces; everything it sucked up equally destroyed as only Zastin and the two men in black were spared from any sort of burns from Akio's last attack. How had he managed not to hit them with that? She turned to gaze at her new friend and maybe even fiancé with a questioning look; only for her jaw to drop as he displayed yet another power she believed to be completely impossible without her inventions or some other form of aid.

"Bear in mind you three that if I hadn't used my x-ray vision in tandem with my heat vision; you all would've been cut in half by the same attack that destroyed Lala's invention just now. Consider yourselves fortunate that I don't believe in taking lives unless truly necessary, but if you continue on this path to try and kidnap Lala then I might be forced to use more… drastic measure." Akio warned Zastin and the two men in black as the leader of Lala's pursuers barely managed to recover from that last onslaught before he registered that he was being threatened. He was about to fire back a retort when he caught sight of the being who had rescued them from Lala's invention- something about him daring to threaten them- but his words died in his throat when he saw the same thing Lala was seeing right now.

"Um, Akio?" Lala asked him in a tone that was laden with slowly mounting excitement. Akio locked eyes with her; his gaze the epitome of confusion.

"What is it Lala?" He patiently questioned.

"You're flying!" Lala stated abruptly; unable to hold in the need to say that aloud anymore as her smile grew huge and infectious and she flew over to him to examine this feat up close and personal. Oh, she could not wait to see more of what this remarkable being could do.

"I'm sorry… what?" Akio asked for clarification; disbelief evident in his eyes. Lala was about to answer him in her usual bubbly manner, but Zastin beat her to it.

"You're floating completely unaided above solid ground, and with no wings; no alien in all the known universe is able to do that… at least not without one of Lana's invention or unless they're a bird." He pointed out Akio's surroundings to him while saying this; insisting that the young man more astutely observe his surroundings. Akio did as Zastin not-so-subtly suggested and his eyes bulged to the point of nearly popping out of their sockets.

"Whoa! Holy shit!" He screamed, beginning to panic which made him immediately lose altitude as he fell onto the uneven terrain of the uprooted park; his pupils dilating as his shock threshold reached its limit. Lala was by his side before she could even think about what she was doing; concern for his mental and emotional wellbeing welling up inside her… though that was matched by her fascination with him. She'd never seen anyone do anything remotely close to what he did, and in all honesty it was causing a surge of affection to rise up inside of her. To think that someone so powerful could've been alone for so long; she wanted to be there for him and provide whatever meager insight into his astounding gifts that she could.

"Damn… never did that before. I mean, I have a lot of abilities, but I didn't know flying was one of them." He stammered in a very obvious stupor as Lala held his head in her lap. He had lost the ability to support his own weight for a while due to the shock of today's events settling in, and so she held him as he continued to chuckle at the absurdity of what just happened.

"Hey, we're friends right? You've trusted me so far, so maybe if we could go back to your house and talk about what other tricks you've been hiding; we can narrow down the list of possible species you might've belonged to at least. It's worth a try, isn't it?" Lala suggested to him with an adoring smile on her face as she turned to Zastin and the other two with a pleading look.

"We can't just leave him here." She imploringly whispered; her eyes swimming with emotions as Zastin shook his head.

"This is out of our hands Lala-Sama; you need to come home with us right now." He said, albeit in a considerably less forceful tone.

Lala was surprised when Akio sat up; his gaze resting firmly on Zastin's. "Why can't you people understand that she doesn't want to go back home right now?! She said something about constant marriage interviews, and I'm guessing that everyone who's been interviewing her has been less than decent. I don't really know the whole situation, and it's not really my place to say what goes on in your world, but here we understand the benefits of marrying for love and not convenience.

Lala may have a duty to her people, whatever that is, but she has a choice as to how she goes about fulfilling that duty, and a choice of who to share that duty with. That's why I've always scoffed at the idea of arranged marriages; if the crown believes that an unhappy king makes for a stronger kingdom then it's wrong, and the same is true for any other high-standing civilian trapped in an unhappy marriage due to mere convenience. Being encapsulated in a loveless life because one has a sense of duty to their people is WRONG!" Akio roared with such profound wisdom, courage, and passion that Lala's eyes shone and her smile was as bright as the most dazzling star. If she was unsure about whom she wanted to marry before; then she sure as hell wasn't now.

Zastin and the other two were wiping away tears; evidently touched by the man's valor and understanding Lala's feelings better now. "I understand Lala-Sama's feelings now, and I want to help you, I do… but the king won't share the same sentiments as me; not unless someone like you were to propose to Lala-Sama and offer yourself up as a suitor. I think she'd be a lot happier with you just based on what you've told us so far; you'd treat her right." He said as Akio's face paled and Lala hugged his arm against her very bountiful bust.

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that Zastin… Akio here already proposed to me." She giggled sweetly as Akio turned to her with eyes wide with abject shock; wondering when in the fuck he'd done such a thing and pretty damn sure he hadn't.

"I did?!" He openly gasped at her.

"He did?!" Zastin demanded a split-second after; his eyes narrowing at the man now.

"Yes he did Zastin… he used the old method." Lala informed him with a sigh of bliss; meanwhile, Akio was just sitting there confused out of his fucking mind.

Zastin gained a tick mark on his forehead as he leveled a glare at Akio. "You're extremely fortunate that Lala seems receptive of such a manner of proposal in your case; otherwise you'd not be getting off so easily." He threatened him, but Akio glared right back without fear.

"Are you threatening me?" Akio hissed in a dangerous undertone; his eyes narrowing as Zastin felt a chill going down his spine and looked away on instinct. He stared at his trembling own hand and tried to calm his beating heart; there was something eerily unnerving about this kid when he was pissed off… like a hypergiant just waiting to explode. Akio's expression softened when Lala took his hand, and he took a deep breath to calm himself; not wanting to get into it with Zastin right now when there was a more immediate problem to deal with.

"Okay, so clear something up for me you guys; I don't know what it is you think I did to propose but I can assure you it wasn't intentional on my part. I'm not exactly up to speed on Deviluke customs new or old; I'm a stranger to your ways… so please, tell me what I did." He requested of all of them as everyone including Zastin looked uncomfortable over the subject. Looking into the man's eyes, Zastin could tell that Akio was being honest; the man wore his heart on his sleeve.

"There are two ways one can propose to a woman on Deviluke; the current way is by marriage interviews and the like, but there's an older, more perverse method that is extremely outdated, but which our current planetary ruler has yet to illegalize." Zastin explained, looking to Akio to see if he was following and delighted when he nodded.

"Okay, so what is this method; if it's so depraved then I can hardly think myself as someone who would stoop to such a level?" Akio wondered; a sinking feeling in his gut as his mind flashed back to when he'd accidentally groped Lala's breasts in the bathtub upon her sudden arrival.

"I can see in your eyes that you're already working it out for yourself. Yes, the archaic method of proposal on Deviluke is to touch a woman's breasts. Normally, such a proposal would be immediately rejected before it could even begin, but given the circumstances…" Zastin paused to let this sink in as Akio stared at each of them in turn with sheer disbelief written on his face; looking like he was silently hoping beyond hope that this was all some kind of sick joke.

"You're kidding right?! What kind of disgusting law is that? And what kind of a perverted king would allow such a law to still be in effect?! Besides, I didn't do it on purpose; Lala just materialized in my bathroom stark naked and I accidentally grabbed hold of her chest while instinctively shielding my face with my arms thanks to my bathtub exploding!" He roared in pure outrage; not at the fact that he was technically engaged to this beautiful girl in the laws of another planet, but at the barbaric method of proposal.

"Be that as it may; whether by accident or not… you proposed to Lala-Sama here, and our laws are absolute. If Princess Lala here accepts your marriage proposal; then you two will be engaged in the eyes of our society." Zastin explained as Akio's eyes widened before turning to Lala with astonishment coursing through him.

"Princess?! You're the daughter of your world's planetary ruler?!" He whisper-shouted.

"Mmhmm." She affirmed with a nod and a dazzling smile.

"Princess Lala is the eldest of three sisters; the other two are Princess Nana and Princess Momo. Since Lala is the eldest and the king has no sons; if anyone were to become married to any of the three of them then they would inherit the throne and rule over the cosmos in King Gid Lucian Deviluke's place. Under normal circumstances the titles and responsibilities of the king would be passed on to the firstborn son… but since all three of his heirs are female this is just the way things are." Zastin continued explaining as the last son of Krypton felt like he might faint from pure shock threshold overload any minute now.

"This is a lot to take in." Akio admitted in a hushed whisper, and they all nodded understandingly.

"It's alright… we can work out the details whilst staying here; because I plan to stay with my new husband here on Earth… at least for the time being." Lala assured him.

"Does that mean you accepted my accidental, barbaric marriage proposal?" Akio asked her in a quiet tone; wanting nothing more than to go home to his reasonably quiet and happy life and sleep the night away. He needed time to process all of this, and was grateful to Lala for being so understanding.

"Yes, it does… I know you didn't mean to, and I wasn't sure about accepting it at first, but after today; I'm absolutely certain I could be very happy with you." She admitted with such open sincerity and naked honesty that Akio couldn't dispute her words; he felt his own eyes watering up with emotions he didn't know he was capable of possessing. This beautiful alien princess whose father presided over an entire planet- maybe even the entire known universe- wanted to be with him. The mere thought of it was causing him to experience a massive case of the feels. She may not have been of his own kind, but she accepted him and his otherworldly talents just the same. Such an acceptance was something he only ever knew from his siblings and adopted parents before.

"But what if we get to know one another and decide we're not as good of a match as we thought? Aren't we rushing things just a bit too much? I mean, I'm not even done high school yet, and I've been saving up money from summer jobs to go traveling the world after I graduate. Is it really alright for me to just put everything on hold like this?" He asked her in an uncertain tone; surprised when Zastin cleared his throat to get their attention.

"I may be able to allay some of your concerns; I still need to go and report her highness's newfound engagement to his majesty the king, and the actual marriage won't take place until the king wills it. There's a waiting period of sorts, where other potential suitors from all across the galaxy will converge on this location to fight for Lala's hand in marriage. I'm sorry to say Akio Yuuki, but if you want Princess Lala's hand in marriage… you're going to have to fight for it. It would also prove to the king that his successor is strong enough to take over the throne." Zastin explained, but all he did was give Akio something entirely new to worry about.

"So, in other words… the Earth will become a target of strategic and extreme marital value?!" Akio cried in outrage; that dangerous aura of power and menace of his returning as Lala once again took his hand and tried to calm him down. Zastin sweat dropped somewhat nervously… when the boy put it like that it made it sound very bad indeed. Still, they were impressed by how quick Akio was on the uptake; clearly whatever species he belonged to was no slouch in the intelligence category.

"We may be able to monitor things on Earth from up in space to ensure things don't get too out of hand and even run interference if any of these would-be suitors constitute a threat to your adopted home world." Zastin reassured him.

"With all due respect Zastin; if any such aliens constitute a threat to my world, then running interference won't be necessary, because I'd be extremely unlikely to pull my punches like I did with those two goons behind you. I don't know how powerfully I stack up compared to the other sentient species of the universe, but I also know that I'll do whatever it takes to protect this world; my family would surely be displeased with me for doing anything less." The boy responded, once again manifesting that sense of danger as Zastin nodded.

"That's completely understandable, and I welcome you to have at her in such a situation; I honestly hope that won't be necessary though, because I've honestly only seen a small portion of what you could do and I am frankly a little unnerved by it." He admitted; not afraid to acknowledge the fact that Akio's poorly concealed power made him apprehensive; even if said power was unrefined it was already well on its way to rivaling the king when he was at the height of his power. Akio nodded in acceptance of Zastin's answer, and looked up at him with a more composed expression.

"Go ahead and tell your king that I'm prepared to accept responsibility for all this; if Lala is truly accepting my proposal then I'll use this waiting period to get to know her better." He then turned to Lala; who was gazing at him with adoration.

"Is that okay with you, Princess Lala?" He asked her while addressing her more formally; then again, if the two of them discovered they were a perfect match and ended up married… perhaps he wouldn't need to address her as such. Her response to that was to throw her arms around him and nuzzle his face with hers.

"Ohhh… I'd love to spend time with you here. I can't wait for Papa and my sisters to meet you, but for now it's just you and me here on Earth. Is that okay with you Zastin?" She asked while looking away from Akio for a moment to glance inquiringly at Zastin; who simply nodded.

"Since you two are engaged; you're welcome to stay here so long as you understand that Earth will become a battleground for her majesty's hand in marriage. I will be reporting back to the king, and then I and my comrades will be maintaining vigil over your planet to provide extra insurance in case things get too out of control. I'd imagine that his majesty would like to talk to you as well Akio; he may even have some idea about where you came from." Zastin responded. Akio looked up at him with a hopeful countenance despite himself, and Zastin saw in his eyes how long he'd been searching for answers in vain. He hoped he could help remedy that, and even consulted his long mental list of the many humanoid aliens throughout the universe… but came up emptyhanded where anyone with abilities and features similar to Akio were concerned.

"I hope he does, but in the meantime Lala… maybe I can get you settled in our house. I'm sure my siblings Mikan and Rito wouldn't mind, and you can sleep in my room on my bed while I take the floor until we can find a better arrangement." He offered tentatively; still a little unsure about this whole proposal thing, but he was willing to give it a try if she was. He may have only been 17, but in a year he would be a legal adult and a graduate free to do as he pleased, and he wasn't the clumsy, lonely kid he used to be anymore.

Being what he was and having to hide his secret had matured him at an incredible rate; though it also made it hard for him to make any lasting and truly meaningful connections. Besides, a little voice inside of him kept hoping that Lala was the one, or at the very least one of his potential soulmates since while he believed in both soul bonds and even Eternal Bonds; he didn't believe they were mutually exclusive. That wasn't to say he was strictly a harem kind of guy, but if Deviluke didn't have the same hang-ups about those types of relationships then he wasn't going to oppose it too much.

Lala smiled and nodded, though she pouted cutely when he mentioned sleeping on the floor; wanting to be able to sleep in the same bed as him and feel safe in his muscular arms… the same way she had when he bridal carried her over here. It was as they were both standing back up that Akio became aware of the extensive damage done to the park by Lala's machine.

"We can't leave it like this." Was all he said before got to work picking everything up and using heat vision to weld the broken pieces of the swing-set back together. Operating a super speed, he flattened the land with his feet back to into a presentable shape; replanted all of the uprooted grass and placed the broken pieces of tree beneath the trees themselves, and bent all of the improperly bent pieces of metal including the slide back into place, before he put them all back in their original spots. He even managed to screw the benches back into place on solid ground with his bare hands; Lala and the others watching in fascination as he put a lifetime's worth of skills acquired while doing menial chores to work.

"There, now we can leave." Was all he said when he came back out of super speed to appreciate his good work; his eidetic memory allowing him to remember how everything was supposed to be. Lala clapped overexcitedly like an overgrown child; making Akio blush as she threw her arms around him and pressed her chest up against his own.

"That was amazing!" She cooed in pure delight; making him chuckle sheepishly.

"Alright then… shall we be off your highness?" Akio suggested cheekily once he recovered from his embarrassment, and Lala nodded. She squealed with delight when her new fiancé picked her up in yet another bridal carry and literally _blinked_ out of existence with her; demonstrating another remarkable attribute in the form of super speed as Zastin and the two men in black stared at the spot where they disappeared in shock… before they recovered and had Zastin's ship beam them back up to report to the king. One thing was for sure… Gid Lucian Deviluke would not be unimpressed with how powerful this new potential candidate was; though Zastin did wonder where he came from. It was as if the universe itself had conjured him from out of nowhere; he truly was an anomalous wildcard through and through.


End file.
